In Dreams
by Bishie Huntress
Summary: Naruto has always dreamt of chasing Sasuke. It fills his life, waking and sleeping. But now his dreams are different, more real. Sasuke is not running anymore and Naruto doesn't know what to think.
1. Chapter 1

**an:** Hooray! A new story in which Bishie Huntress can cheerfully demonstrate that she has no idea what she's doing when it comes to an actual, drawn-out plot of moderate (though probably smaller than she's now imagining) length! (Who got lost, there? Go on... raise your hands!)

So! I know I haven't updated "Letters" in... nearly two months? Yikes! And here I've started something new! (Don't hate me!) But don't worry... I have actually started the next chapter! (Of "Letters", that is. I've already got a couple more chapters for this, but you can bet you won't see 'em if you don't review! Mwahahahaha!) Between writer's block and nanowrimo (which was amazing for my confidence in my ability to write large numbers of words, especially involving ninja!), I have not had much time to get things done.

That, and my family seems to have an insane amount of laundry...

* * *

><p>Chapter One<p>

Naruto flopped onto his bed, exhausted. He didn't even bother slipping out of his clothes. Training with Sakura and Sai today had been rough. Those two really knew how to keep him on his toes.

But on top of that, he hadn't been sleeping well. He'd been dreaming of chasing Sasuke again. These dreams always left him tired. An echo of his life, he would find himself running after Sasuke, but the distance between them would only seem to stretch out more than ever until, eventually, the other boy faded into blackness and Naruto was left alone. It didn't matter how fast Naruto ran, or how loudly he called his one-time teammate, Sasuke always left him behind. And he always woke tired.

Sakura said he was obsessed, and his real life was bleeding into his dreams. Tsunade said he needed to learn to let go, at least a little, or the stress would leave him unfit for active duty. If that happened, she'd said, he would also stop earning any income. Sai wasn't any help at all. He put his arm around Naruto and leaned in _really_ close, then made a generic, vaguely reassuring comment before referring to him as 'dickless' and smiling that really weird smile of his. Kakashi agreed with Sakura and Tsunade, suggesting that Naruto take some time to himself to sort things out, but Naruto said that he made it sound like he was grieving after a funeral and refused.

He found that, the more he pushed himself during the day, the less likely he was to dream of Sasuke, or at least, remember dreaming of him. So, as tired as he was from this run of dreams, he pushed himself as hard as he could during training, forcing Sakura and Sai to bring it up a notch. All in all, he felt very satisfied with his level of exhaustion.

So when he flopped down on his bed, he fully expected a long, dreamless night. As he yawned right before drifting off, he couldn't help the hopefulness that filled him.

* * *

><p>Naruto was disappointed to find himself in a dream once again. Some hope remained, however, for this wasn't like his other dreams. Instead, he stood on a gently sloping, grassy hillside, and a few stars twinkled in the evening sky above him. He looked around and saw the village of Konoha in the near distance, lighting up in preparation for the night.<p>

Turning, he walked in the opposite direction, up the hill. A cool breeze fluttered through his hair, rustling the leaves of a small stand of three trees near the top. As he drew near them, Naruto caught site of a figure standing in the shadows. Curious, he moved closer.

"Hello?" he called. There was no answer, but the shadow man stood still, as though waiting. Naruto walked even closer and the figure became clearer.

The figure stood as tall as him, maybe just a little taller. Dark eyes gleamed at him in the twilight. A pale shirt stood out in the shadows, and dark pants blended into the shadows. Dark hair stuck up in a way that he was far too familiar with.

He stopped. "Sasuke?" he questioned.

The eyes blinked and, instead of running away like Naruto expected, the other took a step forward.

Through blurred and twisted shadows, Sasuke stared back at Naruto.

The blond frowned. "Aren't you supposed to run away?"

Sasuke didn't answer, just took another step forward. Confused – more than confused – Naruto stepped back.

"This isn't right," he said aloud. "You're supposed to run. I'm supposed to chase you. That's how this works." He tried pulling out a kunai, thinking the threat of a fight, of actual contact, might force his dream to take the proper shape.

"Naruto," Sasuke said, and Naruto awoke.

Morning light peeked softly through the curtain that hung askew at his lone window. Naruto swore softly to himself. Had that dream taken up the whole night? He felt like he hadn't—

Naruto paused. Actually, he felt quite rested. He frowned, confused again.

* * *

><p>"The whole dream just felt so real," Naruto found himself saying. He was lying on a roof next to Shikamaru, basking in the warm midday sun after a wonderful meal of ramen. "And what I don't get is that he just <em>stood<em> there, instead of running away. He's supposed to run away!"

Shikamaru was silent as he listened to the blond ninja recount his dream. He didn't know why, but people seemed to like confiding in him, and he'd heard some of the strangest stories from other ninja.

Naruto fell silent, also, thinking over everything. He turned when he heard Shikamaru breathe out a soft snore.

"Hey!" he said loudly. "Did you fall asleep on me?"

Shikamaru cracked an eye. "It's warm and quiet. What did you expect?" At Naruto's helpless and pitiable expression, Shikamaru sighed.

"Look," he said slowly, "it's most likely psychological. Your subconscious self probably realized the other dream was becoming bad for your health and decided to do something to help, so your unresolved desire to reconnect with Sasuke has simply decided to take a different form. If you have the dream again, just try talking to him as though he's the same Sasuke who used to be on your team. It might help."

Naruto thought about this. It kind of made sense. Maybe if he could work things out with the dream Sasuke, his brain would think he'd fixed his problems and he'd be able to function normally again.

"So just act normal, huh?" he said. He was answered with another soft snore. Smiling to himself, Naruto snuck stealthily away.

Behind him, Shikamaru cracked an eye again. _'For a ninja, he's not very quiet,'_ he thought. _'But I hope he gets this straightened out. It's so troublesome.'_

With that, he went back to enjoying an afternoon of avoiding the pile of paperwork Tsunade had dumped on him.

* * *

><p>Somewhere deep in the wilderness, a broken and bloodied man carried the body of the person he had always held closest to his heart, heading for the place that he had not called home for many a long year.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>an:<strong> Well, there it is! What do you think thus far? Did you smile? Did you frown? Do you wonder who this injured man limping through the wilderness is? O.o

If you had thoughts while reading this, and I really hope you did, because that would indicate _life_, tell me what they were! You know you want to! XD


	2. Chapter 2

**an:** ::dances around:: ~Here's chapter two!~ Thanks to Rosebunse and KillerUchiha for the reviews and alerts, and to everyone who added this to their faves. XD Please tell me why you felt it was worth adding! XD

Now, enjoy!

* * *

><p>Chapter Two<p>

Naruto spent much of his afternoon running and hiding from an intensely angered Sakura. He supposed it would be a good idea to at least look around before engaging in a Sexy Jutsu battle with Konohamaru, and might even be a better idea to find a less populated place entirely. The middle of the market was probably not the smartest place to be showing off a jutsu of such skill, especially when the 'poof' clouds only covered so much skin. And _especially_ when it happened to be on Sakura's shopping day….

Having successfully avoided his pink-haired teammate, Naruto returned home. His little apartment was quiet after the hours he'd been forced to spend with Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon, but it felt a little emptier for it. Singing off-key to himself, he caught a quick shower and threw on some relatively clean clothes, ignoring the pile that mocked him from the floor. He prepared himself a quick meal of instant ramen, wrinkling his nose a little at the new flavors the store had decided to stock.

'_Really,'_ he thought, _'who wants to eat carrot-flavored ramen? What am I, a rabbit?'_

Still, they had been out of his favorite flavors, and he didn't feel like making anything else today. So, despite the odd orange color, or perhaps because of it, Naruto wolfed down his simple meal. Then he spent the evening studying a scroll with a few jutsu that Kakashi had given him for his last birthday, telling him he needed the practice. The memory made him happy, and he smiled to himself.

After a while, he decided he'd had enough of mistaken explosions. The floor had more than a few charred spots he'd have to scrub another time, and the smoke was starting to make him lightheaded.

He retired to his room and cracked his window. It had started to rain sometime while he was studying, and a gentle wind blew rain-soaked air into his room, lightening the smoky smell. With the sky covered in a soft gray blanket of twilit rainclouds and the rain beating down with a steady, quiet drumming against the roof outside, Naruto drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p>He opened dreaming eyes to find himself lying on his back on the same hillside as the night before. The sun shone overhead, warm and bright. Konoha seemed to glow in the clear sunshine. Birdsong floated around him, carried on a summer breeze. He sat up and noticed a small stream running lazily around the bottom of the hill to his left. Far to the right, a forest of glistening leaves fluttered.<p>

Naruto stood and turned, noticing the three trees at the top of the hill again. Thinking that perhaps he'd find Sasuke in the same place, the blond walked up the hill.

At first he didn't see him, and Naruto was disappointed.

'_I thought Shikamaru said I was trying to subconsciously fix myself or something. So where's Sasuke?'_

Then he saw him, sitting up on a wide tree branch facing away from Konoha. He walked to a spot beneath the boughs of the tree.

"Oi, bastard!" he called up.

"Idiot," came the calm response. Sasuke continued to stare out at the horizon.

Naruto frowned. Even his dream version of Sasuke insulted him. It figured.

"I'm not dumb," he said sulkily.

"Just blind," was Sasuke's response.

Naruto chose to ignore the comment. "What are you doing, _bastard_?"

"I _was_ enjoying the peace, _idiot_."

Naruto growled to himself. "Hey!" he shouted. "You're supposed to be part of _my_ imagination while it tries to fix me, so since you're part of me, I'm telling you to stop insulting me!"

"Oh, is that right?" Sasuke finally looked down at the blond. He smirked. "Since when have you been one to follow the rules? As I recall, you made up your own ninja way, just because you didn't like the one you were supposed to follow."

"Well, that was for a good reason! My ninja way is so much better!"

"Hn."

"What? What does that even mean?" The blond was frustrated. He'd done what Shikamaru suggested and talked to the dream Sasuke, and all that had occurred was that the dark-haired boy argued with and insulted him, just like….

"Just like when we were genin!" Naruto realized aloud.

Sasuke's brow furrowed. "What's like when we were genin?" he asked.

"This is," Naruto said. He waved his hand between them. "You and me."

"Hn," Sasuke said again, looking back at the horizon.

"Just what's so great about that view, anyway?" Naruto asked. All he could see was an ocean of trees past the stream that wrapped around the back side of the hill.

When Sasuke remained silent, Naruto decided to find out for himself. Drawing chakra to the soles of his feet, he promptly walked up the tree trunk. Walking along the bottom of Sasuke's branch, he pulled himself up and sat in front of his old teammate and looked out over the trees.

"You're blocking the view," Sasuke said, a faint note of irritation creeping into his voice. "Move."

"I don't get it," Naruto said. "There's just more trees."

"Move!" Sasuke said again, and kicked Naruto off the branch. Surprised, Naruto tried to stop his fall by grabbing the foot that connected and pulled the unprepared Sasuke off with him. They landed in a heap at the base of the tree.

"Ow…" Naruto groaned. Then, for good measure, he added, "Bastard."

"Hm," Sasuke said. "The landing wasn't as hard as I thought it'd be. You're getting soft." He untangled himself from the other boy as he sputtered and growled.

Naruto stood. "I'm not soft!" he declared adamantly. "Look!" He flexed his biceps to prove his point.

"Please," Sasuke snorted, waving a dismissive hand. "Too much ramen has made you soft here." He poked the Naruto's stomach. "And here," he continued, poking his head.

Naruto swatted his hand away. "Has not," he muttered. He crossed his arms over his chest and turned away, pouting.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Sasuke considering him for a moment. Then he smirked.

"Has too," he taunted.

"Has not!" Naruto turned and swung at Sasuke.

The dark-haired boy dodged and swung back, and for a moment, they rolled around on the grass, locked in an impossible tussle. It ended with Sasuke pinning Naruto to the ground as he sat on his back, arms held painfully tight.

"Has too," he said, almost gleefully.

Naruto beat his head against the ground. "I just essentially lost to myself," he muttered.

"Big word, idiot," Sasuke said, getting up. He extended a hand to help Naruto up.

Taking the hand, Naruto pulled himself to his feet, looking into Sasuke's dark eyes. They shone with a light Naruto hadn't seen in years, and he couldn't help grinning happily.

"What are you smiling at, idiot?" Sasuke asked.

"Nothing," Naruto said, still grinning. When he woke, he could still feel the warmth from Sasuke's hand.

* * *

><p><strong>an:<strong> So, how was this chapter? What did you think? What could possibly happen next? (Even though there hasn't been much in the way of action... yet. I have a feeling this should be under drama, but we'll see...) And where is that mysterious man? O.O

Stay tuned (and review!) to find out! XD


	3. Chapter 3

**an:** Ahh... so tired! Here is chapter three for those who wait patiently! It is my last "cushion" chapter, so please review when you're done reading and inspire and motivate me to write more! There is so much going on for the holidays (and what is it with all the December birthdays, anyway? O.o), and I just found out I'm growing another gremlin (really, I love my kids!), so I'm pretty pooped. Your reviews are sure to give me much needed impetus to write more! XD And besides, you'll feel so relieved for actually leaving that review that you knew you wanted to write! Do eet!

* * *

><p>Chapter Three<p>

Naruto had just finished dressing when a knock sounded at his door. Opening it, he saw Sakura standing there and instinctively flinched, thinking she was there to beat some "sense" into him again for yesterday's stunt.

She gave him a funny look, but only said, "Hurry up, Naruto. We've got a mission today and Kakashi wants us to meet him at the bridge in five."

"Five hours?" he asked.

Sakura sighed. "Five minutes, dummy."

"What! That's not enough time to get ready!" Naruto began rushing around his room, gathering necessary supplies. "Do you know what kind of mission it is?"

Sakura shook her head. "Not really. An extended one, though."

"Oh, so…" Naruto rushed to his cupboard, emptying as many cup ramen into his backpack as would fit.

"Maybe you should leave room for clothes," Sakura suggested, eyeing the noodles.

"Nope! Food always takes priority. Besides, I haven't had time to do laundry since our last mission."

Sakura's nose wrinkled. "That's disgusting, Naruto. When we get back, I'll help you."

Naruto groaned in his head, where he was safe from Sakura's ears. _'Her idea of help is standing over me with a metaphorical whip as she makes sure _I _do it all!'_

Sakura knew exactly what was going through Naruto's mind and she smirked. "It's not like I'd actually touch your dirty socks," she said.

'_Ah! How does she _do _that?'_

"Come on!" Sakura grabbed Naruto's arm and dragged him out of the tiny apartment, only allowing him time to stop and lock his door. "We're going to be late!"

"What's the rush?" Naruto wanted to know. "Kakashi won't be there for another four or five hours, and you know it!"

"Yeah, but he probably watches from the trees, snickering at our miserable boredom while he reads that infernal book," Sakura answered.

Naruto sighed gloomily. "Yeah, you're probably right."

When they arrived at the bridge they'd been meeting at nearly every day since they graduated the Ninja Academy, they were surprised to see Rock Lee waiting with Sai. They both had packs at their feet and Rock Lee had a confused expression on his face.

"Did Sai say something weird?" Naruto asked him.

"Oh, no!" Lee answered. "At least, I do not think so," he said, frowning.

"Well, if he did, just ignore him," Sakura said, sending the pale boy a warning glare.

He simply smiled, but inside, he gulped in fear. He'd been on the receiving end of more than one of the green-eyed girl's formidable punches.

The medical ninja turned back to the older boy. "What're you doing here, Lee?"

"Kakashi found me this morning," he said. "He told me to meet here for a mission."

"You're coming, too?" Naruto grinned. "Great! It's been awhile!"

They made small talk for a few moments, and all of them were surprised when Kakashi showed up only fifteen minutes late.

"You're early!" Naruto and Sakura shouted, pointing at him.

"No, I'm late," he contradicted.

"You're early for _you_," Sakura clarified.

"Yeah, what gives, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto added.

"I had a late library book to return," the silver-haired jounin said. "Now, I know I've got the mission details here somewhere…." He began searching through his pack.

"See?" Sakura whispered to Naruto. "I told you he was always late because of that book! Maybe now he'll finally be on time to things!"

"Oh! That's where this pesky thing went!" Kakashi exclaimed, pulling out a familiar orange book.

"Or not." Sakura face-palmed as Kakashi put the book safely into his small belt pouch.

"Ah hah!" he exclaimed again, pulling a scroll out of the pouch. "It would appear I packed them backward." He laughed sheepishly, eye curving upward.

Sai smiled silently as Rock Lee watched the goings on with a sense of familiarity.

'_It has been a long time, but I believe it will be fun to travel with Team Seven again,'_ he thought.

"Right!" Kakashi began, unrolling the scroll. His team straightened, paying closer attention. "Our mission is to travel to the Crescent Moon Kingdom. It is a diplomatic mission, with a message from Lady Tsunade. This is why we invited Lee, here." He waved a hand to gesture to the boy.

"Alright! An easy mission!" Sakura cheered at the same time that Naruto groaned.

"Man! Can't Granny Tsunade give us tougher missions? Don't get me wrong," he continued. "It'll be fun to go back and see everyone, but where's the _action_?"

"Do not underestimate our task!" Rock Lee cried. "We may face fearsome enemy ninja who will test our very limits!" He struck a pose, fist held up before him, and flames of determination danced in his eyes. "Do not fear, Sakura-chan! I will protect you!"

Sakura sighed, rolling her eyes. She picked up her pack and walked past the boys and toward the gate. "Well, let's go, then. We wouldn't want to miss those fearsome ninja," she said.

Naruto and Lee hurried after her, the blond once more excited for the mission that lay ahead. Sai followed more sedately with Kakashi.

"There is more to this than a simple delivery mission, isn't there, Kakashi-sensei?" Sai asked, smiling.

Kakashi simply shrugged, shuddering inside at the creepy look.

* * *

><p>At a nearby training field, Hinata practiced her defense techniques with Kiba while Akamaru sniffed a nearby tree curiously and Shino communed with his bugs.<p>

The gentle girl would never tell her enthusiastic partner, but his straightforward attacks were incredibly easy for her to block. She mostly did this for his benefit, though staying in shape was always a good idea.

Out of her Byakugan-enhanced peripheral vision, Hinata's sharp eyes caught sight of Team Seven and Rock Lee headed toward Konoha's gate, no doubt off on a new mission. She was glad for Naruto; she knew how much it ate at the boy to not have anything to do.

Suddenly, Hinata spotted something unlikely, incongruous, unbelievable, and impossible. In fact, she was so shocked by what her eyes told her that she forgot entirely about Kiba's incoming attack and turned her head, focusing completely on the scene before her. That…. She had to be mistaken!

Kiba's attack connected, knocking the girl back a good twenty feet. Immediately, Kiba was at her side, pulling her to her feet.

"I'm so sorry!" he apologized over and over again. "Are you okay?" His wide eyes looked frantically for injuries.

"I'm fine, Kiba," she said in her soft voice, rubbing carefully at her jaw. That would probably bruise later.

"What happened? I never get a hit past your defense!"

Ah, so he was more perceptive than she'd given him credit for. Hinata felt guilty but pushed it aside for the moment.

"I thought I saw something impossible," she said quietly.

"Yeah? Like what?" Kiba asked curiously.

Hinata looked back toward Naruto's team just as they passed through the gate. Odd…. Now there were just the four students and Kakashi-sensei.

"W-well, Team Seven was leaving with Rock Lee, and I thought…. For a moment, I thought I saw Sasuke with them," she finished in nearly a whisper.

Kiba looked surprised. Then he laughed. "You're right!" he said. "That _is_ impossible! It was probably just that weird Sai guy. They sort of look alike from a distance."

Hinata wasn't so sure. She'd seen Sai, and she'd seen someone else. That hair was hard to mistake. But she just shrugged and let it pass. There wasn't anything she could do, and besides, he wasn't there when she looked again. She was probably just tired. The team had spent the previous evening on night training, courtesy of Kurenai-sensei's previously unknown sadistic streak.

Pregnancy seemed to make her a different person entirely, Hinata mused.

Kiba walked over to Akamaru who was standing in the middle of the field, motionless, with his hackles raised. As he got closer, he could hear a low rumble vibrating from the dog's chest.

"What is it, Akamaru?" he asked, resting a comforting hand on the dog's head.

Akamaru whined softly.

"Naruto's team? What about them?"

Akamaru relaxed a little as Kiba scratched behind his ear. Kiba always knew the best place to scratch. He woofed quietly.

"You sensed something strange?" Kiba frowned. "What do you mean?"

Akamaru seemed to give a doggy shrug as he closed his eyes and pushed his head into Kiba's hand, demanding that the boy scratch harder.

Kiba complied, but his thoughts were on Hinata's strange sighting and Akamaru's senses. Even if the Hyuuga girl had been wrong, Akamaru's senses rarely were. Something odd was definitely going on. Kiba only hoped Naruto and his team would be alright.

* * *

><p><strong>an:<strong> Well, was it everything you hoped for? LOL ::pauses:: Waaaiiit... Where's the body-dragging man? I was sure he returned in this chapter! Oh, darn. I guess I will have to be sure to bring him back in the next chapter. Review and tell me if you want to see him again! XD (Also, did I miss anything in my once-over?)

In case it takes me a while to get another chapter up, happy holidays, everyone! =D


End file.
